Hawaii, 2003

Heavy Rain in Hawaii, April 7, 2003

April 7, 2003 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain and showers produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding of roadways in eastern and southern parts of Kauai. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage, however.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

Heavy rain and showers produced small stream and drainage ditch flooding, and ponding of roadways in eastern and southern parts of Kauai. There were no reports of serious injuries or property damage, however.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 7, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 10:00 AM HST, 2 hours 40 minutes before
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION AND GUIDANCE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST MON APR 7 2003

SUMMARY...WITH A COLD POOL OF AIR ALOFT...THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY
SHOWERS REMAIN A STRONG POSSIBILITY FOR THIS AFTERNOON STATEWIDE.
LIGHT WINDS WILL CONTINUE TODAY...BUT TRADES ARE RETURNING...TO
MODERATE LEVELS TUESDAY...POSSIBLY FRESH WEDNESDAY AND BEYOND. ALONG
WITH THE TRADES WILL COME FINE WEATHER WITH JUST A FEW WINDWARD AND
MAUKA SHOWERS.

DISCUSSION...SATELLITE INDICATES THE RESIDUAL VORTICITY OR
CIRCULATION ALOFT OVER THE ISLANDS OF THE WEAKENING KONA LOW. THIS
CIRCULATION REPRESENTS A POOL OF COLD AIR ABOVE 600 MB...AROUND
15000 FEET...THAT IS STILL ROTATING AS IT IS BEING SWEPT EASTWARD
ACROSS THE STATE. WITH THIS COLDER AIR ALOFT...THE POSSIBILITY OF
ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON
REMAINS. THE LIHUE SOUNDING SHOWED A LIFTED INDEX OF -7.3 DEGREES
CELSIUS...A K-INDEX OF 33 AND A CAPE OF 1931 AT 2 AM LAST NIGHT...
ALSO INDICATIVE OF A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE.

NUMERICAL FORECAST MODELS ARE BRINGING A STRONG 1032 MB HIGH INTO
PLACE NORTH OF THE STATE BY THE COMING WEEKEND...AND THIS SHOULD
SUPPORT STRENGTHENING TRADES THROUGH THE WEEK. ALONG WITH THE TRADES
WILL COME THE USUAL NIGHT AND MORNING SHOWERS OVER MAINLY WINDWARD
AND MAUKA SECTIONS OF ALL ISLANDS. FARRELL

.HFO...NONE

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Kauai

When
April 7, 12:40 PM HST to 4:35 PM HST
Where
Kauai County, Wailua
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Hawaii, April 2003

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5329328.